In Love with a Pirate

Where it all began

  Thousands of feet in the air, with the wind blowing through her hair, 18-year-old Claire closed her eyes as she began to fall...free fall. This was freedom...this was bliss. A grin tugged at the corners of her mouth as she picked up speed, and plummeted towards the ground. Seconds from what was sure to be her demise, she stomped her heel on a little button that started the thrusters on her solar surfer, and barely escaped her own undoing.

"WWOOHOO!" She shouted at the top of her lungs.

Solar-surfing was her escape from life and all of her problems. Unfortunately, it didn't last forever, and she didn't get to do it as often as she would like. Her mom owned a bed and breakfast and took up most of her time with busy work as an unpaid employee. She suspected it was mostly for the purpose of keeping her out of trouble, but that only made her want to rebel even more.

Claire noticed how much time had passed, and noted that the school assembly would be over by now.

"All good things must come to an end at some point." She muttered.

She was on her way back to school when she heard an all too familiar siren behind her.

*WOOP-WOOP*

"Oh great..." She muttered under her breath.

Back at the Benbow Inn, Claire's mother, Sarah, was running all over the place trying to tend to the customers.

"Oh, Mrs. Hawkins!" An old lady, of an octopus-alien species was impatiently waving her cup at Sarah.

"I know, refill on the perp juice, coming right up ms. Dunwoodie." She assured as she carried trays of food to a table.

"There we go, that's four powdered sphere-oids, two lunar eclipses, and it's a big bowl of Zerelian jellyworms for the big boy. Enjoy!"

She then made her way over to Delbert Doppler, an old family friend. Delbert was an astrophysicist, looking the part with his round glasses and ascot, and was of the "canine" species.

"Sorry Delbert, ugh, it's been a madhouse here all morning." She apologized as she placed his favorite breakfast down in front of him.

"No problem Sarah. Ah my alponian chowder with the extra celara seed...mmmm, yum!"

After a moment, Delbert started a conversation. "So uh, how's Claire doing?"

"Much better...I know she had some rough spots earlier this year, but I really think she's starting to turn a corner."

As soon as she finished saying that, the inn door burst open to reveal Claire with an ashamed look on her face, and a robo-cop on each side of her. In an electronic voice, the robocop spoke as it pushed Claire inside.

"Mrs. Hawkins..."

"CLAIRE!" Sarah shouted in surprise at what unfolded before her.

"Ooh, wrong turn." Delbert whispered as he covered his face in embarrassment for Sarah.

"...We apprehended your daughter operating a solar vehicle around the mines during school hours. An act of truancy and tresspassing."

The other robocop continued. "Moving violation- 6-2-4, section fifteen, paragraph...um.."

Claire sighed as she had heard this a thousand times and knew the answer.

"Three."

"Thank you..." One of them said in an irritated voice.

"As you are aware ma'am, this constitutes a violation of her probation."

"Yes, I-uh, yes."

"We have impounded her vehicle, any more slip-ups will result in a one-way ticket to Juvenile Hall."